PICK A JUDGE, ANY JUDGE

By Celia Cohen
Grapevine Political Writer

A federal judge serves for a lifetime. It is not
supposed to take that long to appoint one, but the
months that the U.S. District Court in Delaware has been
short one judge are dragging on as though it could.

It has been eight months since the court had a full
bench of four judges. It has been four months since four
judicial candidates went to Washington to be interviewed
by officials of the Bush administration for the vacancy,
only to be left hanging without a word since.

The White House has become a Black Hole.

The court itself is coping. "We're OK. The active
judges are filling in quite nicely on matters that are
time sensitive. We haven't gotten to the point where the
end-stage of justice has been negatively affected. I
don't want to get there," Chief Judge Gregory M. Sleet
said.

The court actually expects some relief with the
arrival of Leonard P. Stark, a second magistrate judge,
who started Monday. Magistrate judges are chosen by the
court itself without requiring the approval of the White
House and U.S. Senate.

Patience is being tested elsewhere, however --
particularly for U.S. Rep. Michael N. Castle, the point
man in the state's three-member congressional delegation
to have the opening filled.

"I want to get them a judge," Castle said.

Castle should not have to be in this position.
Presidents customarily rely on home-state senators of
their own party for recommendations in appointing
judges, but it fell to Castle in this case because he is
George W. Bush's sole fellow Republican in the
delegation with U.S. Sens. Joseph R. Biden Jr. and
Thomas R. Carper both being Democrats.

It was Castle who forwarded along a list of four
candidates, all Republicans, to replace Judge Kent A.
Jordan, who was elevated last December from the district
court to the appellate court. Although Castle did not
make the names public, they are known to be: U.S.
Attorney Colm F. Connolly; Richard A. Forsten, a partner
at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney; Thomas P. Preston, a
partner at Blank Rome; and Andrea L. Rocanelli, chief
disciplinary counsel for the state Supreme Court.

It is Castle who is trying to find out what the delay
is. He says he does not know the cause and asked his
staff earlier this week to prod the White House. He also
says he is open to a request to provide additional
candidates -- anything to get a nomination -- if the
White House only will ask.

"They've got to make a decision. If they want more
names or whatever, they need to tell us. I'll do
whatever I have to do," Castle said.

"They've got to go down some road here. I find this a
little bit exasperating."